1.Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a table with adjustable height and tilt. More particularly, the table of the present invention is capable of being adjusted to be at a lower height or at an upper height. At the upper height position, the tilt of the table can be switched between horizontal and inclined positions using tension links such as a chain, a cable, or a rope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adjustable tables are generally known in the prior art. One can differentiate between height adjustable tables and tilt adjustable tables although designs in which both parameters are adjustable are also known.
The need for height adjustability is well established in the prior art. In addition to various professional and industrial uses, in a common household situation, height adjustability is desirable to make the table usable comfortably by both adults and children. For a common situation of a young family with small children living in a small apartment with limited space, a universally adjustable table would allow for a variety of tasks to be performed by both adults and children, for which the table has to have at least two height positions. In addition, tilting of the table allows for additional convenient uses such as reading, drafting, playing games, etc. In a typical height adjustable table, the design incorporates some form of extending the four legs of the table upward following by fixing it in place.
Examples of such designs can be found in the following U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,052 by Glashouwer depicts a height adjustable table having telescoping legs with a limited number of spaced holes designed to receive removable lock elements so that the design has a number of fixed height positions. One limitation of this design is that the process of adjusting all four legs takes some time and thus is not adapted for quick switching back and fourth to change the function of the table in a household setting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,811 by Carson depicts another variation of the height adjustable table in which telescoping legs are adapted to allow gradual adjustment of height. It has the same limitation as the previous patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,955 by Fleischer depicts a gear crank mechanism for gradual adjustment of the height of the table. Although free of the disadvantages mentioned above, the design is complex and therefore the table is heavy and best suited for supporting heavy objects such as video equipment.
Various tilting devices are known in the prior art and can be found for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,305 by Johnson and 5,607,155 by Campbell. In most cases, these design contain provisions for fixing the tiltable upper surface of the table in place which requires tightening of some holding elements typically on both sides of the table. As indicated above, these designs are not easily adapted for frequent changing back and fourth and therefore have limited utility in a household setting.
An example of a table allowing for both height and tilt adjustment is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,394 by Veyhl. Although it is believed to be highly desirable to be able to adjust both the height and the tilt of the table, this particular design is rather complex and requires many parts to function properly. As a result, it is believed to be heavy and not desirable or easily adaptable for a common use around the house.
The use of tension links as a structural element of a piece of furniture is also known in the prior art. A tension link may comprise a chain, a cable, a rope or another flexible element that can be tightened to provide tension between two strategic points of the design. Examples of such designs can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,913,271 by Lloyd; U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,706 by Yong; U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,673 by Cheng; U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,998 by Everett; U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,270 by Singer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,437 by Logan; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,520 by Miller.
These and other known devices of the prior art fail to address the important objective of the adjustable table of this type, namely to provide a design allowing for both height and tilt adjustment while minimizing the time and efforts needed to perform the adjustment and keeping the table design simple and light in weight.
The present invention is designed to address this objective and described in detail below.